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Jerry E. Dickerman HouseJerry E. Dickerman House · Photo: Midatlanticyank · CC BY-SA 4.0
B+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Newport · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Newport faces less hazard damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Newport gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns, #31 of 71 in Vermont. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 1982.

River and rain flooding 87%Earthquakes 5%Hurricanes 4%

Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded

less than 70%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#31 of 71 in Vermont
Hazard risk
B+#31 of 71
in Vermont · lower than 70% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
87% of expected building damage
Flood claims
4
paid since 1982 · $45K
Flooded more than once
1
properties
Disasters paid out here
7
of 29 declared for Orleans County

What stands out about Newport’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Lower expected damage than 70% of U.S. townsFEMA’s model of yearly storm and flood damage per dollar of building.Moved out of harm’s way1 flood-prone property bought out and cleared with FEMA grants.
By hazard

What Newport faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

River and rain flooding

87%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Earthquakes

5%of expected building damage
About average · higher than 59% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Winter storms top 5% Strong wind Ice storms Lightning Tornadoes Wildfire Hail Cold waves Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 11% of Newport’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Newport’s grade

River and rain flooding is 87% of the building damage FEMA expects in Newport, and Newport’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts. Winter storms add 1%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Newport sits
Newport
Least damageMiddleMost damage

B+ #31 of 71 in Vermont; lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Newport’s residents live in 2 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding87%Earthquakes5%Hurricanes4%Everything else4%

The typical Vermont town has lower expected damage than 66% of U.S. towns; within the state, Newport has less expected damage per building than 57% of Vermont towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.3M a year in losses across Newport: $1.1M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Newport covers 2 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Newport flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 1982

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Newport, from FEMA’s records: 1.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 66% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1982: 1 claim1983: 1 claim1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 1 claim1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 0 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 0 claims1998: 0 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 1 claim2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198219831986
19822026
4
paid claims since 1982
$45K
paid to owners
1
homes flooded more than once
$11K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (0)Flooded 2+ times
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Newport isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Orleans County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
1flood-prone property bought out and cleared
Disasters

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Newport

Disasters that paid out in Newport itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Newport), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2024Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides5 households applied for aid$23K aid approved
  2. 2023Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides27 households applied for aid$94K aid approved
  3. 2013Severe Winter Storms$28K to the City of Newport for repairs
  4. 2011Severe Storms and Flooding11 households applied for aid$13K aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
  5. 2004Severe Storms and Flooding$9K to the City of Newport for repairs
  6. 2002Severe Storms and Flooding$13K to the City of Newport for repairs
Show all 7
  1. 2001Snow$8K to the City of Newport for repairs
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in NewportOrleans County only

Orleans County has had 29 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods.

Were you here?

Old photos of Newport after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Newport archive →
Next door

Newport and its neighbors

Newport is 3rd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Derby: hazard risk B+Newport: hazard risk A−Coventry: hazard risk C+DerbyNewportCoventryNewport
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
NewportA−less damage than 82%river and rain flooding1
DerbyB+less damage than 72%river and rain flooding28
NewportB+less damage than 70%river and rain flooding4
CoventryC+more damage than 61%river and rain flooding4

Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.

Be ready

Get ready for what Newport faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
  • Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
  • Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
  • Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
  • Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Newport

Is Newport at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Newport has lower expected damage per building than 70% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #31 of 71 in Vermont. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (87%) and earthquakes (5%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Newport flood?

Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Newport since 1982, $45K in all, or 1.7 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 66% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 1 properties have flooded more than once.

Is Newport in a flood zone?

Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Orleans County, 0.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Newport?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Newport’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in Newport?

By FEMA money that reached Newport, Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (2023): 27 households applied for aid, $94K approved.

Is Newport at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (87%), and Newport’s rate for it is higher than 55% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Newport.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Newport’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.